Comment

Justice William Brennan, who in 1984
was the first high court justice to
refer to “ceremonial deism” in a
written opinion, explained that the
term covers religious references that
"have lost through rote repetition any
significant religious content." In
other words, although the expression
may appear religious, it is harmless
because it is understood as having no
religious meaning.

That opinion is just incoherent.

Religion is the only idea that can make an intelligent Supreme Court Justice look like a friggin' eejit, as Ignorant Amos might say.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for a Catholic law school
education, said Scalia. The beliefs
and morals of a Catholic education are
important in the writing of laws and
formulating legislation.

Scalia said that while he can be a
judge and be a Catholic, his beliefs
as a Catholic are still of upmost
importance.

Referring to protestors against the
death penalty that he encountered on
his way to the presentation, Scalia
said, “If I thought that the Catholic
doctrine held that the death penalty
to be immoral, I would resign.”

Scalia explained that while he doesn’t
make his judicial decisions based on
his religion, he wouldn’t work with a
judicial system that was counter to
the laws of Catholicism.

RDFRS US:
The mission of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science is to support scientific education, critical thinking and evidence-based understanding of the natural world in the quest to overcome religious fundamentalism, superstition, intolerance and suffering.